The Max Planck Society (MPG) was founded in 1948 to keep up the tradition of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft. Many outstanding reserachers worked and still work at this most renowned German research organization, as exemplified by the large number of nobel laureates in its rows. After the reunification in 1989 the society started to found new institutes in several locations in Eastern Germany. Three of them are located in Leipzig.

Leipzig’s research diversity is reflected in its four Leibniz Institutes. The Leibniz Association, named after the philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), a native of Leipzig, is one of Germany’s four non-university research organizations. It connects 96 independent institutes focusing on fields such as natural sciences, engineering, economics, and the humanities. Addressing socially, economically, and ecologically relevant topics, the Leibniz Institutes are jointly funded by federal and state governments due to their national significance.